The Jero Language
The Western Kiranti languages Bahing and Dumi are close relatives of Wambule, but the tongue most closely related is the western neighbour Jero (Nep. जेरो Jero). The Jero language is known from the literature by the names ‘Jerung’, ‘Jero’, ‘Jerum’, ‘Zero’, ‘Zerum’ or ‘Jerunge’ (Hanßon 1991). The consultants whom I consulted preferred the term ‘Jero’ to designate their language. According to my consultants, the term ‘Jerung’ is a toponym used in the names of several villages within the Jero-speaking area as well as the name of a village in the Wambule-speaking area.
The Jero speaking area
Jero is spoken by more than 2,000 people living in ओखलढुङ्गा Okhalḍhuṅgā and सिन्धुली Sindhulī districts of eastern Nepal. Gerd Hanßon (1991) claims that there are three to four dialects. However, my consultants claimed that there are only two major dialects:
- The northern dialect is spoken around the मौलुङ खोला Mauluṅ Kholā in ओखलढुङ्गा Okhalḍhuṅgā district, i.e. in the area roughly to the west of the भाडारे खोला Bhāḍāre Kholā, to the south of the ढांड खोला Ḍhāṃḍ Kholā, to the north of the सुनकोसी Sunkosī river, and as far west as the village of आमबोट Āmboṭ.
- The southern dialect is spoken in सिन्धुली Sindhulī district in several villages along the west bank of the बहादुर खोला Bahādur Kholā, to the south of the सुनकोसी Sunkosī river as far south as the village of मोहनटार Mohanṭār.
Fieldwork in Nepal
Personally, I was able to gather the first comprehensive data on the little-known Jero language during a two week trip to the southern Jero village of मोहनटार Mohanṭār in March 1998. The data on the northern Jero dialect of आमबोट Āmboṭ village were collected in Kathmandu in January 2003 (VS 2059), where I had the chance of working together with राम कुमार राई Rām Kumār Rāī, born in VS 2040, and गम बहादुर राई Gam Bahādur Rāī, born in VS 2017. I am currently preparing several publications on the Jero language (see publications).
A Grammar of Jero
The book A Grammar of Jero. With A Historical Comparative Study of the Kiranti Languages (which was previously announced as A Grammatical Sketch of Jero) is a spin-off of my descriptive research on the Wambule language. This book offers the first-ever published analysis of the phonology, morphology, syntax and lexicon of the previously undescribed and endangered Jero language. The grammar of Jero is published in Brill’s Tibetan Studies Library. Languages of the Greater Himalayan Region (see publications) and can be ordered from Brill’s online shop.